


Life is Hell(a)

by TheCrazyFriend



Category: Life Is Strange (Video Game)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-28
Updated: 2019-10-02
Packaged: 2019-11-07 00:02:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 6
Words: 4,999
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17949716
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheCrazyFriend/pseuds/TheCrazyFriend
Summary: When Max heard the gunshot, she thought it was all over.The story continuation that nobody asked for. Post sacrifice Chloe ending.





	1. Autopilot

**BANG!!**

When Max Caulfield heard that gunshot, she thought it was all over. How wrong she was

Max woke up from her Autopilot on October 11, stood between Kate and Warren at Chloe's funeral. She watched silently, numbly as her best friend was put into the ground. She rested her head on Kate's shoulder while the casket was lowered into the ground. Her Autopilot form had watched Joyce sob into David's shoulder the latter of whom was also in tears. Justin and Trevor stood nearby with their heads bowed and eyes red, that could've just been from being stoned though, Autopilot Max wasn't close enough to tell. Principal Wells and Michelle Grant stood off to one side while in the distance, concealed by the trees Frank Bowers stood watching the burial. A single tear ran down his cheek, remembering how Rachel had died and how inseparable the two girls, his beloved Rachel and Price had been once upon a time. When Chloe had been shot and Nathan was arrested, the latter spilled the beans on Jefferson’s Dark Room scheme and the mastermind of the Dark Room scheme was discovered in his Dark Room, editing photographs he had taken of Kate. Furthermore, Rachel's body was discovered in the junkyard promptly after Nathan's confessions.

Max, having not had to reveal any of the secrets she knew was left alone. Autopilot Max didn't know anything about the week of hell, not even about Nathan or Jefferson and thanks to Max not intervening in any way she wasn't asked any questions beyond the simplest ones like why had she been in that bathroom. Autopilot Max explained she had gone in there to freshen up and had seen a photo op, a blue butterfly. She had of course been taking that photograph when Nathan had stormed in and argued with Chloe though Autopilot Max hadn't been conscious when Chloe had been shot and due to both of these factors she hadn’t known that it was her old friend until after. Max had been taken past as the body bag was being sealed. “Chloe!!” Autopilot Max had screamed, finally recognizing her childhood friend. “Chloe!! Chloe, no!! She can't be dead, she can't be!!”

Ten minutes later, Autopilot Max had been checked out by the EMTs, albeit reluctantly, she had wanted to stay with Chloe after all. The EMTs explained how she had gone into a 'dissociative state' during the events of the bathroom shooting since she had been found sat up against the end stall and had been unresponsive to the police officer who had discovered her.  
“Max Caulfield...” Joyce had moved over to her once the EMTs had finished and she had been recognized. “I had hoped we'd meet again soon, but these horrible experiences aren't exactly what I had in mind”  
“J-Joyce!!” Max sniffled and buried her head into Joyce's shoulder  
“Max...” Joyce held her tightly, “how could this have happened to my baby girl?”  
“I don't know, Joyce” Max didn't even notice that she had completely soaked Joyce's shoulder with her tears. _I didn't even go see her when I had the chance_

The week passed by too slowly for Autopilot Max. She had lost her friend, she had no memories of said event and the last thing she was expecting was for her to feel herself fading on October 11. Confusion and panic set in as she felt herself slowly fading into nothingness, she had looked hastily to one side then the other and attempted to open her mouth but she remained unable to do so. _I’m so sorry_ a familiar voice whispered inside her head  
_Sorry? Sorry for what?_ Max knew that voice from somewhere even as she replied while feeling her vision, hearing and feeling all fade away slowly  
_This. I didn't mean to overwrite you, I promise_. The voice replied remorsefully  
_Overwrite me?_  
_Just shut your eyes, blink and all your pain will be over, Max_  
_No... Max, I refuse..._ Autopilot Max, despite having realized that it was Max that was talking to her, couldn't help it. She fearfully strained to keep her eyes open for as long as she could end her eyes burned by the time she was forced to blink.

Autopilot Max never opened her eyes again, instead Max opened her tear stained eyes. She was utterly drained by her hellish week, the week she had come to refer to as _the week that never was_. Slumping on to Kate's shoulder, Max blearily looked over at the grave, any hopes that the Autopilot would allow her to skip bawling were shattered as yet more tears ran down her cheeks uncontrollably. Kate wordlessly wrapped her arms around Max and supported her best friend while Warren watched on in concern since most everyone else was concentrating on Chloe's casket. Max barely remembered getting back to Victoria's car after the burial with Kate before she fell asleep. Joyce had, of course, wanted Max to attend the luncheon but Kate and Victoria had put forward a convincing argument that they should just take her back to the Price-Madsen household themselves ahead of everyone else where she could rest and attend the luncheon a little later, if she felt up to it

*****

_**You fucked up. I swear on the grave of my loved one that this is only just beginning, Maxine Caulfield.** _

Max woke up heaving and screaming, oblivious to the sounds of the luncheon going on below her, sounds that had stopped the moment she woke up screaming.


	2. Mysterious voices

The luncheon faded into silence at the first tortured cry from above. Joyce and David looked at one another, hesitated then made their way upstairs. Joyce knocked on the door softly amongst the tortured screaming coming from within. “Max?” Joyce called out, “Max, what's wrong?”  
“Nightmare. It's nothing” Max wheezed out between breathing and screaming. “I'm okay”  
“You were screaming, Max” Joyce replied firmly.  
“I was? I was. Right” Max just wanted Joyce to go away  
“Let me help, Max” Joyce was almost pleading, David's head had joined Joyce's at the door  
“I'm sorry, Joyce. There's nothing you can do to help.” Max's eyes were red and swollen from all the crying she had been doing, something she could do without even being aware of it. “This is all my fault and it's my burden to bear alone. I can't help but wonder if I made a terrible mistake”  
“You can't blame yourself for this, Max. You weren't here but you didn't make the decision to kill her, that was Nathan Prescott’s doing.” Joyce was firm, trying to reassure Max but her efforts didn't help Max at all  
_Oh, if only you knew, Joyce. This is all my fault_  
**_Yes, you're right, Maxine Caulfield. It is all your fault_**. A voice echoed around Max's head again, the same one that had woken her up  
Max froze up at the words that echoed around her head. “What the fuck? Who are you?!”  
“Max?” Joyce raised an eyebrow  
**_Not someone who will ever forgive you for what you have done, Caulfield_**  
“SHUT UP!!” Max screamed at the voice  
“Max?!” Joyce gasped, taken aback by the timid girl shouting  
“Uh excuse me is everything okay up here?” Another feminine voice disturbed the awkward silence, the owner had sprinted up the stairs at Max's scream  
“Sure, Vanessa, everything will be fine. Just a nightmare” Joyce replied  
“Oh my sweetest daughter, what happened to you?” Vanessa was watching the shivering shaking pale freckled brunette who threw up in a bucket, oblivious to her audience in those moments  
“Is everything okay?” a third more cautious and timid voice joined the conversation, a girl with a bun had joined them  
“Ah, Kate. D'ya think you could sit with Max?” Joyce asked, looking at the brunette with concern. She had already handed the bucket to Vanessa to flush away  
“Of course. You have guests, Mrs. Madsen” Kate took Max's hand gently and smiled at Max. Vanessa rejoined them and handed Max the bucket again

“I-I want to come downstairs soon, Joyce”  
“Are you sure that's wise, Max?” Kate inquired gently  
“I need to. This is all my fault!!” Max pleaded  
“You can't take the blame, Max!” Joyce had merely shaken her head and led Vanessa away and down the stairs  
“Fuck, Kate. If only you knew”  
“Then tell me”  
“You wouldn't believe me, Kate” Max's tone was stern  
“What makes you so sure?”  
**_Don't make it worse for yourself, Caulfield_**. The mysterious voice hissed  
“Oh, fuck off”  
“Max?” Kate's eyebrows had furrowed in confusion at Max's sudden exclamation  
“Not you, Kate,” Max whispered quickly  
“Then who?” Kate replied  
“This voice in my head”  
“What voice?”  
“An angry vengeful and mysterious yet melodious and beautiful voice who hates me more than even Maxine”  
“Maxine?” Kate became even more confused  
“The other me, the dark me that hates me. I met her in a nightmare”  
“Oh my lord, Max, you need a lot of help” Kate was scared, she hadn't realized how bad Max had gotten  
“Nobody can help me. Besides, the voice told me not to make it worse for myself by trying to tell people what I've been through. She knew I wouldn't be believed better than I did”  
“I'm sorry if I sounded judgemental, Max” Kate was abashed  
“Not your fault, my experience is beyond comprehension and belief, unless you lived it”  
“I'm so sorry, Max”  
“You don't need to be, I understand”

 ** _Hello, Max_** A familiar voice sneered  
_Oh god, not you as well_  
**_That's a nice attitude toward your alternate self..._**  
“Max?”  
“Sorry, Kate. Maxine has joined in”  
“I'm worried about you, Max” Kate mumbled, she knew Max had been through a lot but hearing voices was not a good thing  
“Fine, you win...” Max sighed, taking a deep breath before revealing the truth  
**_Are you so sure, Caulfield?_** The mysterious voice interrupted  
_Fuck off, random mystery voice._ “... I’m a time traveler”  
“Max?”  
“I'll prove it” Max moved over to the window, raised her right hand to rewind and... Nothing  
“Uh... Max?” Kate was looking at Max, perplexed and maybe even terrified  
**_You think you're worthy of that power, Caulfield? You don't and never will be worthy of it, you wasted it. That's the mistake I'll never forgive. You didn't use it for what you were supposed to_**  
“It's gone, Kate. My rewind is gone, I've lost it” Max looked over at the anxious Christian girl, knowing that Kate thought she was insane  
**_I took it back, away from you._**


	3. Abandonment

“I'm worried about you!!” Kate called. It had been almost a week since Max had revealed the truth about what she was able to do and since Kate hadn't believed her. Consequently, Max had been avoiding the girl she had told the truth to and the petite blonde was hammering on Max's door at two in the morning. “Come on Max, get your butt out of your room!!” No answer came though a few people poked their heads through their doors in interest. “Max, come on, you've been in there for six days now!!” _I know since I've been sat outside this door for most of those days_  
“Kate?” A voice called out, followed by quick footsteps down the hallway toward the petite blonde stood outside room 119  
“Dana?” the small girl tilted her head up to see the taller girl get closer  
“Max, will you please open this door!!” Dana called out, pounding on the door. The taller girl must've sensed Kate's desperation since she didn't have to ask any questions. Most of the dorm thought Max was simply avoiding everyone but Kate just _knew_ something else was going on

“What’s going on?!” a gruff voice exclaimed as the door to the dorms opened, “Ms. Chase called me”  
“Mr. Madsen!” Kate took a step or two back, intimidated by the veteran. She was also scared that Victoria had had a relapse of Queen Bitch Syndrome but as the ever loving and forgiving Christian girl, she knew she wouldn't be able to say as much  
“Calm down, Ms. Marsh. You're not in trouble.” He moved to Max's door, hammered on it a few times then lifted his keys. “Campus security, I'm coming in!!” Max didn't respond so he put the key in the door and unlocked it. No sooner as he opened the door a smell pervaded the entire corridor and it wasn't a pleasant one. “Call an ambulance, Ms. Marsh!” David exclaimed, his face paling somewhat as he recoiled from the doorway. “Ms. Ward, everyone else back to your rooms!!” he glared at Dana and everyone else who dared not do as he instructed. “ _Now_!!” 

Everyone retreated to their rooms while Kate called 911 and requested an ambulance be sent to Blackwell Academy. Kate felt a thin fingered artistic hand take her own, she knew without looking that a certain pixie blonde had returned to campus and was by her side. “Katie?” the voice whispered, “Katie I'm sorry I couldn't be here this week, I...”  
Kate turned around and wrapped her arms around the taller blonde. “Tori, am I glad to see you!!”  
“What's going on? I get back a few hours ago, unpack and sleep a few hours and I'm woken up by you hammering on Max's door” The pixie blonde actually looked _scared_ by what was happening around her  
“I know we agreed that I’d try to take care of her this week while you were in Seattle but she told me something unbelievable... I didn't believe her and she shut down on me. I think she shut down completely.” Kate rambled  
“Ms. Chase, I'm afraid I'm going to...” David interrupted Kate's rambling while eyeing the pixie blonde who had emerged from her room regardless of the veteran’s orders  
“ _Don’t_ even _think_ about telling me to return to my room, asshole!!” Victoria exploded, interrupting David with an ice cold tone that terrified even the veteran, “Max is in there, quite possibly very sick and you're trying to get me to back to my room?! No _fucking_ way, mister!!”

An ambulance siren pierced through the silence between the two young women and the veteran who was rather stunned to be on the receiving end of the patented Queen Victoria bitchiness. “Tell me what the _fuck_ is going on, David or I swear I'll call your wife!!” Victoria made a step toward Max's room, wrinkling her nose slightly at the smell  
“Ahem, well...” he began haltingly while blocking Victoria’s path  
“I'm fucking serious here!”  
“Max is in her bed, I don't think she's moved from it for at least a few days. I believe the smell to be...”  
“My nose got that memo, _David_ ” Victoria snapped, she didn't need the entire dorm to hear what Max was currently led in even though they had probably all smelled it for themselves. _Max has been led in her own piss and shit for how long?!_ Despite everything, she couldn't be mad at Kate, she knew Kate would have tried to talk to Max, certainly when she arrived back it certainly seemed as if Max hadn't even been in there and the door had done rather a good job at keeping everything in. Victoria studied David for a moment, trying to find a weakness so she could get past him and into Max's room where the hippie was alone, either unconscious or barely conscious and quite possibly in mortal danger but much to her annoyance she was unable to find a way to squeeze past him. “Get the _fuck_ out of my way, Madsen!!” she snapped, reaching out and gripping Kate’s hand tightly, “Max needs us, so get out of the way before I call my father, you know who he is, right? Christopher Chase...” she watched with satisfaction as David paled and moved out of the way of both young women.

Taking a deep breath, Victoria and Kate took a step forward to enter Max's dorm room while trying to ignore the pervasive smell. _Holy shit, Max!!!_ Victoria's eyes widened at the sight of Max's frail little body just lying there in her bed, her face almost colorless. Most of her body was concealed by the multitude of blankets covering her but Victoria felt fear. Fearful they hadn't gotten to her in time since Max looked to have abandoned her will to live 


	4. Sickness

Max was led in her bed, curled up and unresponsive to the wider world. “Max...” Kate frowned and moved toward the tiny photographer, an endless love clearly apparent in her eyes, love that was mixed in with regret. “Max... I'm so fudging sorry” the petite blonde frowned, looking away from the brunette who looked incredibly sick and frail.  
“Holy shit, Max!” Victoria strode over to the young woman's bed and shook her shoulder slightly. “Max?”  
“This is my fault” Kate whispered, her hand was on Max's forehead and her lip was trembling. “She's burning up.” Max's forehead was hot and incredibly dry  
“What the hell are you doing to yourself, Maxine?” Victoria mumbled to herself, her tone filled with regret. “I'm sorry Katie, I shouldn't have gone to Seattle”  
“You needed to go see your family” Kate replied reassuringly  
Despite the situation, Victoria snorted with laughter. “ _See my family_ , what a good joke. My parents weren't even in the country Monday to Thursday”  
Kate frowned, “they didn't know you were going to see them?”  
“Oh they knew, they just had 'other commitments’...”  
“Other commitments more important than their daughter?”  
“I guess so”  
“I'm sorry, Victoria”  
“Not your fault, Katie. I shouldn’t have bothered going”

David coughed and interjected. “Would one of you mind going to open the dorm door, the ambulance is gonna be arriving in a few moments”  
“Sure...” Victoria was out the door before Kate could even open her mouth. “You stay here with Maxine, Katie”  
“But Vicky...” Kate pouted slightly at Victoria's comments  
“No, Katie, stay here with Max” with that Victoria withdrew her head and hurried off toward the door

A few minutes later Kate returned with a paramedic and two EMTs. “Well, there she is” Victoria whispered, indicating the sickly looking woman curled up in the bed.  
“What's the history?” The paramedic asked, moving over to Max as she spoke and started taking her vitals  
“Ah” Kate looked over at Victoria who nodded  
“It all began a few weeks ago, you know... The shooting” Victoria began  
“Oh yeah, that was such a shock, poor Chloe” the paramedic nodded solemnly  
“You know her?” Kate's eyebrow had raised  
“Yeah, I had to take her girlfriend to hospital a fair number of times, there were also a few times I didn't but I did for over half” the paramedic replied. “They were two beautiful lives snuffed prematurely”  
“Why was she going to hospital?” Victoria asked, she has gone pale, both at the reference to Rachel and to Chloe. Jefferson, her crush, had murdered one and Nathan, her best friend, had murdered the other.  
“Drugs overdose” the paramedic had replied  
“W-what?!” Kate squeaked, she did not approve of the use of illicit drugs  
“Poor Rachel was a troubled young woman” the paramedic concluded, turning back to face Max. “Anyway, we've gone off topic”  
_Rachel? Rachel Amber?_ Kate thought. _That poor woman_  
“Well, Max was Chloe's childhood friend” Victoria continued. “Naturally, she was deeply disturbed by the events, she was withdrawing since the shooting... And I wasn’t here this past week”  
Kate sighed and took up the story, “I spoke to her last six days ago, on the Monday after Vicky here left to go visit her parents, she went the Friday before. There are no classes on for awhile since Chloe was shot on campus” Kate explained, “she and I had a... Small disagreement and I haven't been able to speak to her since”  
“ _You_ and _Max_ had an _argument_?!” Victoria looked surprised and skeptical, “ _you_ couldn't argue with anyone to save your life, Katie”  
“I'll explain in a bit, Victoria!” Kate narrowed her eyes slightly at the pixie blonde, making it clear that the subject was not up for discussion. Victoria nodded quickly, “I've been trying to get Max to open the door for awhile, I just thought she was ignoring me...” Kate teared up, the regret and seeing Max in that state, sick, weak, dying even had begun to physically hurt her.  
“I'm afraid we’re gonna have to take Max to hospital, she needs treatment. She is probably dehydrated at the very minimum” the paramedic nodded sadly  
“Possibly malnourished, I haven't seen her eat since the shooting” Victoria added  
“Yeah and she might have sores from lying in a soiled bed” the EMT finished  
“Poor Max...” Victoria whispered as the EMTs and paramedic moved to assess her and get her on the gurney they had bought in with them, she attempted to stop the tears running down her cheeks but wasn’t completely successful. Kate wrapped her arms around Victoria and guided her out to Victoria's car

“Katie, what did you mean earlier, what did you mean when you said that you and Max had a disagreement, what didn't you want the medical people to know?” Victoria was driving her nice and brand new Merc while Kate was sat on the passenger side worrying her lip  
“I uh... I didn't believe her when she explained what had happened from her point of view...”  
“What do you mean?”  
“She didn't tell me much, just that she was a ‘time traveler’.”


	5. The hospital

Victoria couldn't help it, she let out a small involuntary chuckle which she immediately felt guilty about. “Sorry” she mumbled. It was, of course, ridiculous, _Max_ , the timid hipster of all people had been gifted with the power to time travel?  
“Uh that's kinda how I reacted” Kate admitted sheepishly  
“Time travel? Like seriously, what the _fuck_ , Maxine?” Victoria had one hand on the steering wheel and the other was holding a lit cigarette near the open window, a window that was only open because of Kate  
“I know... But Max shut down the moment I laughed” Kate whispered regretfully  
“I'm sure it was all very real to her” Victoria replied seriously. She thought Max was delusional but she knew from dealing with Nathan that it all felt very real to the sufferer  
“So we don't believe this whole time travel malarkey? Should we tell someone?” Kate asked sheepishly, still berating herself for laughing at Max  
“No, not for now anyway, who would believe us if we did?”  
Kate nodded, “are we almost at the hospital yet?” Despite living her whole life on the outskirts of Arcadia Bay, the young woman had only ever gone to the hospital once before, when the younger of her two younger sisters was born. The young woman had only been eight when Lynn had been born, the slightly older Isabel who was eleven years old had been born on a school day that resulted in her not being able to be there despite being homeschooled  
Victoria checked her GPS and nodded, “it’s just up this road” she reassured, not sure how to deal with the elephant in the room, Max's claim of time travel abilities. It's not just something you can learn just like that, is it? She asked herself doing a mental click of her fingers as she spoke. “So... Uh”  
“Time travel?”  
“Yes, Katie, that. It's not really something that exists outside of computer games, anime and movies though is it?”  
“Not really sure, Vicky. I've only really seen The Voyage Home, and nothing in that movie seems to apply here”  
“No Back to the Future? No Terminator?”  
“No, Victoria” Kate hadn't really been allowed to watch movies, her tutor had taken several movies with her so that Kate could watch one on the last day she was being home-schooled, and she chose the Star Trek movie out of that, Terminator 3 or GI JOE, the other two had promised to be too violent for the petite blonde  
“There's also that game that Dontnod is supposedly working on, that was said to have time travel elements”  
“Oh?” Kate raised an eyebrow, curious  
“Yea, _What If_ ”  
“Never heard of it”  
“I heard about it from my father, Christopher Chase. He sponsored the publisher’s debut game and may be involved in this one too. From what he says it involves time travel”  
“Ah” Kate nodded

Victoria pulled up outside the hospital, noticing the ambulance had already arrived and offloaded Max. “Come on, we’d better get going” she jumped out the car and held the door open for Kate. “Thank you, Victoria”  
“You're welcome, Kate” Victoria led the way into the hospital, speaking to the receptionist. “Maxine Caulfield?”  
“She's in surgery” the receptionist replied sadly. “The sores required skin grafts”  
“Holy shit” Victoria turned to hold the other, smaller girl. Kate turned her head and nuzzled Victoria's neck, enjoying the supportive contact from her friend, god knew she needed it  
“Come on, let's go sit in the waiting area” Kate took Victoria's hand and guided her to a pair of seats in the waiting room to await news regarding Max's condition


	6. Waiting room

Kate was woken by Victoria who shook her shoulder gently while whispering her name. “Mmm?” Kate looked up blearily, the morning sky was red and Kate looked surprised. It had been early afternoon when they had rushed to the hospital and it was clearly morning as they could see the sun from the reception waiting room they were sat, or in Kate's case, lying in.  
“Aren't those two Max's parents?” Victoria indicated them, the light-haired lumberjack of a man and shorter dark-haired women were instantly recognizable to the two highschoolers  
“Oh yea, you're right” Kate smiled. Clearing her throat, Victoria pulled her jacket info a more dignified position and stood, waving at the Caulfields to get their attention while Kate swung her legs off of the chairs she had been led on and stood up

“Hey, girls” Ryan Caulfield moved over to them, smiling and waving back at Victoria. “We came as quickly as we could”  
“I'm amazed you made it down from Seattle as fast as you did, Mr. and Mrs. Caulfield” Kate scratched her head in confusion  
“Yeah well... We kinda had an escort” Ryan glanced at Victoria  
Much to Kate's surprise, Victoria blushed. “What did you do, Vicky?” Kate's tone was one of warmth but she was gazing sternly at a shy pixie blonde  
“I contacted my father and arranged for him to get an escort in place for Max's parents” Victoria admitted shyly, she wasn't afraid to use her connections to benefit those she cared about.

“Thank you, Victoria” Ryan Caulfield enveloped the preppy girl in a smothering hug while Kate was hugged much more gently by Vanessa Caulfield. Victoria waved away the father's heartfelt thanks but not in the bitchy cruel way that had always been the pixie blonde’s defense method but in a way that expressed the truth of the situation; Max's parents never needed to worry. “How's my daughter?”  
“Last I heard was that she was in surgery” Victoria replied. “Skin grafts”  
“Oh my poor baby” Vanessa wailed  
“Don't you start apologizing, Miss. Chase” Ryan preemptively warned in his warm voice. “Nor you, Miss. Marsh. You two both have taken a great amount of care of my daughter and we'll forever be in your debt”  
“Only doing what was the right thing to do, Mr. Caulfield” Victoria beat Kate to it  
“Please call me Ryan. That goes for both of you”  
“Okay, Ryan” Victoria reached out for Kate's hand while the other blonde extended her own out to take Victoria's and offer her other to Vanessa. Vanessa gripped her and Ryan's hands and the lumberjack completed their circle, holding Victoria's hand with a gentleness that surprised the preppy girl. Neither of the Caulfields seemed to mind that Kate was wordlessly mouthing something, _She's praying_.

“Mr. Caulfield?” it was several hours before Ryan's name was called, he and the two high schoolers were sat in the waiting room while Vanessa had headed out to the Madsen household to give Joyce some much-needed support  
“Yes?” Ryan turned to face the doctor, momentarily turning his back on the two girls who peeked around him with interest  
“Can we speak in private?” the doctor aimed a meaningful glance at Kate and Victoria  
“Kate and Victoria here will know everything, I'll tell them everything once you've finished” Ryan spoke sternly, lifting himself up to his full and rather intimidating height and gazing at the doctor  
“Very well. The surgeries were a success and Maxine...”  
“Max, _never_ Maxine” Victoria interrupted to a chuckle from both Ryan and Kate.  
“Very well, Max” the doctor smiled at them, “she's recovering. Once she's awake y'all can go see her” with that and a quick thank you from Kate, the doctor left.

“Max never Maxine, that brings back the memories.” Ryan gazed out of the waiting room window. “Had I known how much Max would prefer that name to her full one I would’ve been more firm with the suggestion that we shorten it to Max...” Ryan rolled his eyes. “My wife preferred Maxine though, said she could always shorten it if she preferred to be neutral”  
“Neutral?” Kate asked  
“Yes, like a gender-neutral name, one that either a guy or gal could use”  
“Oh!!” Kate's eyes widened in realization, “so long as Max is happy... Or rather comfortable. Haven't seen that poor girl happy since the day Chloe died”  
“Well, Max and Chloe were always...” Ryan sniffed. “They always were close. Oh _god_... This is all my fault!! Had I not torn those two apart, this wouldn't have ever happened!!” The man was beginning to break down, he had realized his biggest mistake but, to his horror, it was five years too late. Kate wrapped her arms around the man, or at least attempted to and Victoria joined her in the action, the Caulfields were suffering nearly as much as Joyce Price but nowhere near the level Max was.

**Author's Note:**

> Please leave comments and kudos!!


End file.
